Dubai: Regarding the green signal from the Indian government to import oxygen concentrators, a mad rush was been felt among Indian expats to send this unique oxygen filtering device to their loved ones, so much so that distributors in UAE say they are out of stocks.
Spokespersons of at least two sellers of oxygen concentrators in the United Arab Emirates – Metro Med and Life Pharmacy – said they had done a good job trading the device throughout March and April and dealt with hundreds of orders for the product. But, both validated they were running out of supplies and anticipated a shipment in mid-May for which Indian expats were making advance bookings.
Metro Med’s product manager, Humaid Hussain, said they await a shipment by May 20 and so far all of their concentrators have been sold. “We are dealing with Phillips Resprionic concentrators which have a 90 per cent oxygen filtering capacity. We have the device available in a flow rate of 3 to 5 liters per minute. The other larger capacity device with a flow rate of 10 liters per minute was abandoned in the area. “
“At the moment, we are out of stock and are awaiting our shipment. We already have advance reservations for these. Last month we sold about 100 concentrators,” he added.
Strong demand
The salesperson in the medical equipment division of Life Pharmacy, Qusai Osman, Al Wasl Branch, Dubai, repeated the shortage while affirming sustained sales of oxygen concentrators. He told Gulf News: “We are running out of Phillips respirators and another Chinese brand. We expect new stocks of Chinese products by May 15th and are already taking orders as many Indian expats are inquiring. “
What are oxygen concentrators?
Pulmonologist specialist at Aster Hospital in Mankhool, Dr Sandeep Pargi, described: “Oxygen concentrators have been around for a long time and we prescribe them for patients with hypoxia. This is a condition in which people have difficulty breathing and find that their blood oxygen saturation decreases. Usually the saturation in the blood should be 98-100, but the saturation of such people drops to 90 and below. These are patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with smoker’s lungs, those with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis where the lung tissue has become locked in and is unable to draw oxygen from the lungs. air. In cases of COVID-19, people experience cytokine storms and lung damage that lead to similar fibrosis and an oxygen concentrator can play a vital role in mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 where oxygen saturation oxygen drops to 90. This might not work in severe cases where hospitalization is required. “
“Oxygen concentrators have been around for a long time and we prescribe them for patients with hypoxia. This is a condition in which people have difficulty breathing and find their blood oxygen saturation low,” he continued.
How does the concentrator work?
The director of MGM Health Care, Dr Prashant Rajgopalan, which is a heart and lung transplant centre and cares for many patients with COVID-19 in the lungs, said: “COVID-19 affects the respiratory organs, causing a sudden drop in oxygen levels in the body. These patients then need an oxygen supply. Oxygen levels can be measured by monitoring oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter.”
He further added, “The oxygen concentrator is a plug-in portable device on wheels weighing no more than 14 kg. When plugged into a source of electricity, it begins to suck ambient air which contains 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and 1% other gases into one of its two chambers. In one chamber, it retains nitrogen, CO2 and other compressed gases from the atmosphere and filters oxygen to the other chamber from where it is continuously supplied to the patient via a mask or cannula.”
In the present situation, there is a need for hospitals throughout the world to have lots of opportunities to stock oxygen concentrators, which can be a game-changer, particularly when caring for COVID-19 patients.
Dr Pargi added: “So the patient receives a concentrated oxygen supply of around 90-95% with a flow rate of 3-5 liters per minute in the average model, which is sufficient for a person with COVID- 19 moderate to light. “
Hussain explained, “The difference between an oxygen cylinder and a concentrator is that the former is a storage container and after the oxygen is used up it is empty. However, the concentrator when plugged in can supply oxygen continuously. It requires no further maintenance, is portable, and only requires a filter change once every two years. “
The device is available on online portals and the Indian government has ignored any import rights if expats wish to give it to relatives in India.
Price scale
The price varies from 3,500 Dh for a capacity of 5 litres per minute to 5,725 Dh for a concentrator with a capacity of 10 litres per minute. A lighter portable machine weighing only 4-5 kg, which can be transported to different places, including parks, auditoriums, public places as well as aeroplanes, is priced at 12,000 Dh. But, presently everything is out of stock.
Post Your Comments